Today is the last day of the Protein Engineering course. It feels weird that it is over because it has been a constant part of my uni life so far. Besides, the exam was way back, so I didn’t have to go through everything again:  a usual close of a course in general. The final presentations were easy going, the last cake will be in the fika break in 2 hours… This course has set the standards high: a separate coffee room in the labs, free, tea, milk, sugar, and coffee. A cake schedule! How will I survive other courses after being part of all that?

Just came back from Edinburgh two days ago. I had a great time. I have the feeling that everyone is going to miss Edinburgh sooner or later (apart from the people who are planning to stay there for good, if any), but I was one of the few who got the chance to come back, feeling nostalgic and all, and seeing it exactly as I remembered. Everyone is living in the same way, everything is in the same place… The best bit is, I know I’m coming back next year, so there was nothing bitter about it. It felt like I had never left. I had lunch in KB house with friends and got chips and cheese. I organised a bunch of people to come to an empty Teviot room since everyone’s living in small flats. I had ginger wine from Tescos and I dragged a friend on a long walk to Portobello. I had tea in lots of friend’s places and I had a proper chat with everyone.

Everybody is struggling with the workload in third year… It’s tough. I was lucky to be able to drag my friends out of the library, even though some had a report and two essays due in a week. I feel a bit guilty when they ask me how tough it is, because the only thing I’m struggling with is getting to my Swedish class on time… And I’m taking a Master level course… It appears that in third year they give you tons of assignments, and after that everything is more specialised, laid back, and real. Later in life (PhD, industry or anything really) nobody will give you 5 unrelated essays to write about at the same time. But although I am relieved, I must admit I feel like I’m missing out a little…

After Edinburgh, coming back to Uppsala seemed somehow right. I was able to visit people and places I had been thinking about for awhile and thus get Scotland out of my mind. Uppsala is where I belong in this moment in time. I have a free week starting tomorrow; I had planned to go to France and Italy with a friend of mine, but I just want to lay back for awhile. Do things like registering in the tax office so I get paid from the nation, finally going to the immigration office like I should have done awhile ago, paying a visit to Eva Damm (my erasmus coordinator) to tell her in person to send in my certificate of arrival and see her do it, so that I can get my grant.

Apart from that, late mornings, pancakes, idle walks, movies, books, stand up comedy videos, and cups of tea, are the plan. This is going to be great.